My personal learning theory has not changed very much after having taken this course. If anything, I now recognize why I believe what I do about how students learn. I can continue practicing the strategies I have implemented with more confidence as I have learned how research supports my instructional strategies. Furthermore, I can explain why such practices enhance student learning, using research and knowledge about how students learn, information I learned through the course. Throughout the course, Dr. Michael Orey describes several learning theories that have been created from what we know about how students learn. During week 7 of the course, Dr. Debra Pickering, an educational consultant, explains how research proves that certain strategies, including strategies that I already utilize in my classroom, enhance student learning.
Throughout my teaching experience I have implemented instructional strategies such as experiential learning and the use of nonlinguistic representations and have found that these strategies have been successful. I chose to implement these strategies in the first place because they were strategies that I found effective in my own learning experience. During week 3 of this course, Dr. Michael Orey describes the cognitive learning theory in the media resource. He explains that they theory evolves from what was learned about how human process information. The instructional strategies of experiential learning as well as the use of nonlinguistic representations of information are supported by the cognitive theory. Dr. Orey suggests using “events in your classroom to augment the declarative and procedural information” that you’d like them to recall. By creating meaningful and engaging learning experiences, students will be able to form a connection between the “episodic memory,” or the memories of events in life, and the “declarative” factual or “procedural” how-to information. Orey explains that the main way that information is stored in the long-term memory is by building numoueous connections to stored information. By associating an experience with information, a teacher is increasing the chances that the information will get stored in the students’ long-term memory.
Dr. Orey explains that the cognitive learning theory also involves what is known as Paivio’s Dual Coding Hypothesis. He describes that this hypothesis states that “information is stored as images and text and therefore images are really powerful tools in the classroom.” This supports the instructional strategy of using nonlinguistic representations in the classroom, a strategy that I have always implemented.
The only modification I would make to my personal learning theory is to explain that the theory that is most similar to my own is the cognitive learning theory as opposed to the constructionist learning theory. When learning about the cognitive learning theory, it was as if someone had taken what I had learned and experienced all my life about effective instruction, and added fancy words to explain it. In my original assignment, I described how the constructionist learning theory complements my personal learning theory. I still think this is true but in relation to the “experiential learning” aspect of the cognitive learning theory. Part of creating meaningful and engaging learning experiences for the students often times involves having them work towards a goal, such as building something for a meaningful purpose.
While taking this class, I learned how to use several technology tools that I would like to use with my students. First, I want to use VoiceStream technology to have students share their thoughts and ideas, to share their presentations and other pieces of work, and to offer feedback to their peers. Not only will students be engaged in creating presentations and sharing information via the VoiceStream, but they will find satisfaction as their work is recognized and commented on, by peers, instructors, or even family members. Students will be more receptive to feedback as it is not only given by their instructor and they will be engaged in offering feedback as they are given the opportunity to record their voice, record a video clip of themselves, or type out their comment. They may be motivated to put more effort into their work since it will be shared with others and thus create work of higher quality. Another technology tool I would like to use with my students is iMovie. I created a lesson plan for the Week 7 Application assignment that had students creating a stop motion animation in order to demonstrate their understanding of certain biological processes. I would really like to carry out this lesson plan next year. The activity is engaging because the students are creating an animation. The students have the freedom to be involved in various ways when creating the animation and so each student will be able to participate. They work collaboratively and can thus build relationships in the classroom. Finally, the experience will create memories that can hopefully become connected to the information they are displaying, the biological processes of photosynthesis and respiration. By creating the connection between the event and the information, and by engaging different senses in reviewing the material, there is a higher possibility that the student will retain and can later recall the information about photosynthesis and respiration. Not only are they using their sense of sight in creating their movie, but they are manipulating structures, addressing the needs of the kinesthetic learners, they are communicating with each other, addressing the interpersonal learner as well as the auditory learner, they are even creating nonlinguistic representations of the processes that are often displayed as chemical reactions. This activity addresses the various types of learning styles that one can find in the classroom and it teaches them technological skills that they can use in the future.
Two long-term goal changes I would like to make to my instructional practice is to have my use of technology be more student-rather than teacher-centered, and to incorporate the use of technology by the student into each unit of study for next year. The extent to which I presently use technology in the classroom is the use of PowerPoint presentations using plenty of visuals that I retrieved from the internet, and assigning web resources for students to answer questions and do virtual labs. Dr. Michael Orey distinguishes student-centered technology tools from teacher-centered technology tools in the media resource for week 7. He explains that technology can be described as an instructional tool, where the teacher presents information to the students, or as a learning tool, where students are using the technology as active learners. As described earlier, I have been using technology as an instructional tool. I would like to have my students use the technology, to engage them in their learning by having them create things with the aid of technology. My two goals can be accomplished together because if I teach the students how they can use the technology to facilitate the learning process, they can participate in experiences that engage them and have them learn by doing. One of my goals is to have the students participate in the animation project that was described earlier. In “Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works,” Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski explain, “Although PowerPoint presentations and movies are great teaching aids and do lead to higher levels of student engagement, the most engaging learning comes from having the students create the presentation or movie themselves as a part of the learning process.” They recognize how much more meaningful and effective the instruction becomes if a student is actively involved in his/her learning. This is what I would like to accomplish in my classroom.
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Constructionist and Constructivist Learning Theories. [Motion Picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
